Chair



Patented Feb. 2, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHAIR Walter C. Uline, Nappanee, Ind. Application April 17, 1940, Serial No. 330,005

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in chairs, and more particularly to improvement in high chairs for children. 7

The primary object of the'invention is to provide a high chair having a foot rest which may be readily adjusted to meet the requirement of a child of any size.

A further object is to provide a high chair with a foot rest adjustable both forwardly and downwardly to accommodate changes or growth of both the femur and tibia of the legs of a growing child. I

A further object is to provide a chair of this character with a foot rest pivotally supported upon pivotally mounted arms, and provided with means for releasably locking the various pivot connections in adjusted relation.

A further object is to provide a chair of this character with a foot rest supported independently of the chair legs, and swingingly adjustable to desired position with relation to the chair seat.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which is novel and simple in construction and operation, which is inexpensive to manufacture.

A further object is to provide a foot rest and mounting which may be preassembled as a unit prior to connection with a chair.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a chair provided with my improved foot rest.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the foot rest and mounting unit.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail elevation of a part of the foot rest mounting means.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail sectional view illustrating in dotted lines the various positions which the foot rest may assume with respect to the seat and the remainder of the chair.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing which illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral I0 designates the front legs, and II the rear legs of a chair. These legs support the usual chair seat l2 and are interconnected by rungs I3. It will be noted that the front legs are interconnected by only one rung l4 which is positioned below the level of the majority of the other rungs I3. The chair is provided with any conventional back l5, with arm rests l6 supported upon the back and upon uprights I1, and with the usual tray IS. The seat of the chair is preferably provided with a pair of recessed portions I9 at its forward edge through which a chi1d?s legs may extend, said recesses l9 defining. forwardly projecting portions at the sides for connection with, the front legs I0 and a central projection 2| substantially complementary to portions 20;

' I applymy improved foot rest to a chair of this construction by means of a pair of brackets 22, each engaging the rungs at one side of the chair, and fixedly secured thereto at its upper and lower ends adjacent to the front legs I0. The brackets 22 are preferably bent inwardly toward the center to provide a central off-set 23 which is provided with an embossed or impressed portion 24 having a plurality of radially extending ribs at one surface thereof and complementary radial recesses or grooves at the opposite surface. Each of the brackets 22 has an arm 25 connected therewith at one end. This arm has opposite terminal portions 26, best illustrated in Fig. 3, provided with embossed or impressed radially extending ribs 21, and a central aperture 28. Suitable means 29, such as screws and nuts or rivets, serve to secure the arms 25 to the brackets 22. A foot rest of a length less than the upper spacing of the legs I0, is provided at each end with a centrally positioned angle bracket 3| having a depending portion similar to portion 26 of Fig. 3. Brackets 3| are secured to the upper ends of the arms 25 at portions 26 thereof by bolts and nuts or by rivets. The ribs and grooves of parts 24, 26, and 3| ar complementary and are adapted to cooperate and interfit when the parts are disposed in face engagement. The brackets 22 and arms 25 are preferably formed of metal strips and they may be transversely configured with a longitudinal rib as best illustrated at the top of Fig. 5, for purposes of reinforcement and strength.

It will thus be seen that the foot rest so is mounted on the chair to be positioned directly beneath the recesses |9 thereof when in uppermost position as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4, but may be swung about the off-sets 23 of brackets 22 as a center to a positionforwardly of said recesses l9 and downwardly from the seat. Thus, when a child is small, the foot rest may be adjusted in its uppermost position whereby the small child may extend his legs through the recesses l9 and rest his feet upon the foot rest 30. Thereafter, as the child grows and the femur and tibia lengthen, the foot rest may be adjusted to acccmmodate this growth of both femur and tibia.

It will be understood that the adjustment may be made in any suitable manner. Thus where rivets are employed as the securing members 29,

the spring action of the metal strips at the ribs 2'! permits swinging of the foot rest to desired position. Where bolts and nuts are used as the securing means, the latter will be loosened to accommodate the free swinging movement of the parts to desired position, and will then again be tightened. In connection with this matter of adjustment, the pivotal connection of the foot rest with the arm 25, i. e. between the arm 25 and the bracket 3|, further provides proper adjustment of the foot rest in respect to the chair. Thus, as the arm 25 is swung with respect to the bracket 22 to assume a new position, the foot rest 30 may be swung upon the arm 25 to a new position compensating for the change in the angular position of the arm 25.

One of the important additional advantages of this construction is that the foot rest 3!), arms 25 and brackets 22 may be assembled as a unit before their application to the chair, and thus accommodate simple and rapid manufacture or the chair. An additional advantage of the construction is the fact that it is mounted from the chair rungs rather than from the chair legs and permits the -foot rest to be positioned in any desired relation to the front legs and to the forward edge and recesses IQ of the chair seat.

I claim:

1. In a high chair, the combination of a seat, front and rear legs supporting said seat, a pair of rungs connecting the front and rear legs at each side of the chair, a pair of brackets each secured at its opposite ends to adjacent rungs in substantially vertical position, an arm pivoted at one end to each bracket, a foot rest, means pivotally mounting each end of said foot rest on the free end of said arm, and means for locking the pivot connections between said arms and said "foot rest and between said arms and said brackets in desired angular adjustment.

-tary, interfitting, equi-spaced, radial ribs and grooves in the pivoted parts, and means for normally clamping said pivoted parts at the pivot centers.

'3. The construction defined in claim 1, wherein said brackets are provided with complementary inwardly off-set portions intermediate their length to which said arms are pivoted.

WALTER C. ULINE. 

